BOARDS FEATURE 2016
Getting on a Board
Three Examples of How Hispanic Corporate Directors Got on Boards The following is a common profile of corporate directors
Antonio Carrillo, Jose Luis Prado, and Nina Vaca are three examples of Hispanic corporate directors who fit this profile. In recent interviews, they shared insights on their personal experiences of getting on corporate boards.
Jose Luis Prado is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Evans Foods. Prado has a long history in the consumer goods industry. He previously served in various leadership roles at PepsiCo, Inc. including President of Quaker Foods - North America and President of Quaker Goods & Snacks North America. Prado serves on the board of Northern Trust and on the board of Brinker International, Inc. When asked about how he came to serve on two corporate boards, Prado answers, “When I arrived in Chicago in 2011 to run Quaker Oats, I engaged in a big way with the civil, social and business communities and that raised my profile. Northern Trust’s Chairman noticed and reached out for a meet and greet, and it went on from there.” Prado’s appointment to the board of Brinker International came about as a result of relationships he built with search firms. Prado shares, “When I retired from Quaker I went to meet with the top search firms and expressed my interest in serving on corporate boards. A year later a search firm brought me forward as a candidate for the Brinker International board and I was selected.”
Antonio Carrillo is the Chief Executive Officer of Mexichem. Prior to joining Mexichem, Carrillo was a Group President at Trinity Industries Inc. He brings his extensive experience in international business, energy, transportation, and construction to his board service at Trinity Industries and at the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group. Carrillo holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration with a major in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Carrillo, when asked how he came to serve on the board of the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, credited a professional relationship and word of mouth with his appointment. He told the story of how he joined Trinity Industries Inc. as a board member subsequent to having departed the company after working there for 17 years. During his tenure at Trinity Industries, he came to know board member John Adams, who also served on the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group board. “John Adams was retiring from the Dr. Pepper Board,” Carrillo explains. “John knew me well for many years at Trinity and recommended me to the Chairman.” This recommendation led to Carrillo’s appointment to the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group board.
Nina Vaca is founder, chairman, and CEO of the Pinnacle Group. Vaca heads one of the fastest growing companies of its size in America. Founded in 1996, Pinnacle Group provides a variety of services including vendor management services and IT staffing and consulting. Vaca has a strong track record of leadership as an entrepreneur, business owner, corporate director, and civic leader. She serves on the boards of three Fortune 1000 companies: Kohl’s Stores (Fortune 145), Cinemark (Fortune 762), and Comerica Bank (Fortune 765). Her civic leadership positions include serving as Chairman of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation and as a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship. Vaca attributes her appointment to the boards of Kohl’s, Cinemark, and Comerica to long-term professional relationships and recommendations that came about as a result of building the Pinnacle Group over 20 years, of serving as a trustee of a major university, and of being a member of a top leadership network in Texas. Vaca shares, “In addition to relationships that were formed through civic leadership, building the Pinnacle Group and being on the Inc. 500/5000 for 11 consecutive years resulted in credibility and exposure that were integral to being recruited and selected as a corporate director.”
that is based having conducted dozens of interviews with Fortune 1000 corporate directors. •College graduate •High degree of professional success over 20-30 years •Deep industry experience •Long track record of top leadership •Strong professional skills and knowledge (finance, strategy, international, information technology, marketing, government/regulatory, risk assessment, medicine/ science, legal, human resources) •Experience serving on corporate, private, non-profit, and governmental boards •Extensive social capital and professional network along with a great reputation
22 • September / October 2016